1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to hot tubs. More particularly, this invention relates to a hot tub having a particular seating configuration.
2. State of the Art
Hot tubs are frequently used for relaxation, physical therapy, personal enjoyment, and for social occasions. One of the appealing attributes of hot tubs is that they usually include jets that direct warm pressurized water toward an interior portion of the tub. Water that exits the jets and strikes the user's skin or joints can create a kneading sensation or water massage that is pleasurable, and even rehabilitative. The use of water to treat pain and musculoskeletal disorders, a field known in the art as hydrotherapy, has been in use for many years. Whether for hydrotherapeutic purposes or for personal enjoyment, users of hot tubs frequently position themselves directly in front of the jets of the hot tub to maximize the water pressure on various parts of the their bodies. Hot tub jets are typically recessed within the seats and sidewalls around the tub. Therefore, the specific seating configuration of a hot tub determines whether a user can position a given portion of his body in front of the jets while sitting in the tub.
Standard hot tubs are constructed to accommodate multiple people. The tubs typically provide seating that runs along the sidewall around the tub, which permits users to face each other in the tub while sitting with their legs extending either toward the interior of the tub or along the sidewall. The seating is generally in the form of either a continuous elevated bench-like surface above the floor of the tub, or a surface indentation extending into the sidewall at the corners of the tub. Such seating arrangements attempt to maximize the seating capacity in the tub. Hot tub seats known in the art also generally have fixed heights relative to the floor of the tub. Seating in hot tubs having fixed orientations and heights relative to the floor limits the range of sitting positions therein, and by extension, the portions of the body that a user can place in front of the jets while sitting in the tub.